Khaman Maluach

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Khaman Maluach
Maluach with Duke in 2025
No. 10 – Phoenix Suns
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2006-09-14) 14 September 2006 (age 18)
Rumbek, Sudan
NationalitySouth Sudanese
Listed height7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeDuke (2024–2025)
NBA draft2025: 1st round, 10th overall pick
Drafted byHouston Rockets
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022Cobra Sport
2023AS Douanes
2024City Oilers
2025–presentPhoenix Suns
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Khaman Madit Maluach (born 14 September 2006) is a South Sudanese professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Standing at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m), he plays the center position. He is also a current member of the South Sudan national team, which he joined at the age of 16.[1]

Early life

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Born in Rumbek, South Sudan, Maluach grew up in Kawempe, in neighbouring Uganda, as a refugee with his siblings and mother. He attended Bethel Covenant College in Bwebajja.[2][3]

In 2019, Maluach was encouraged to play basketball by a boda boda motorcyclist who had stopped down when he saw the tall Maluach walking along the road. He attended a local camp organised by Luol Deng and started playing basketball.[4] He later joined the NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, where basketball is combined with education.[citation needed]

College career

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On 6 March 2024, Maluach announced his commitment to Duke. Ranked as the third-best prospect in the 2025 NBA draft by ESPN at the time, he chose Duke over UCLA, Kentucky, and Kansas.[5] He stated that this was due to the impression Zion Williamson had on him when he was younger.[6] Maluach opted to play with number 9, honouring Luol Deng.[7] He would be joined by two other top-rated prospects in Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel (both of whom would later end up being top-5 selections in the 2025 NBA draft) during the season he was with Duke. Maluach averaged 8.6 points on 71.2% shooting, as well as 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game at Duke.[7]

Professional career

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Basketball Africa League (2022–2024)

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Maluach played for the South Sudanese professional team Cobra Sport in the 2022 BAL season, as part of the BAL Elevate program. Through this programme, one NBA Academy Africa player was assigned to each Basketball Africa League (BAL) team on an amateur contract.[8] He made his BAL debut on 9 April 2022 against defending champions Zamalek, scoring two points and recording two rebounds in seven minutes.[9]

In March 2023, Maluach played in his second BAL season after he was drafted first among the academy prospects[2] by the AS Douanes, the defending Senegalese champions. The Douanes reached the final, in which Maluach started and contributed 2 points and 4 rebounds, as they lost to Al Ahly.[10]

He attended the 2023 Basketball Without Borders in Johannesburg, South Africa, and was named the camp's MVP.[11][12]

On 4 March 2024, it was announced that Maluach was drafted by the Ugandan club City Oilers for the 2024 BAL season.[13] On 19 April, Maluach had 16 points and 8 rebounds in his Oilers debut in a 76–99 loss to Al Ahly.[14] One day later, on 20 April, Maluach set new career-highs with 29 points and 11 rebounds in a 88–101 loss against Bangui.[15] On 24 April, Maluach had 16 points, 19 rebounds and 7 blocks in a 68–79 loss to Al-Ahly Ly.[16] His 19 rebounds set a new career-high, and his 7 blocks set a then league record for most blocks by any player in a BAL game.[17] Despite the Oilers being eliminated, Maluach averaged 17.5 points, a league-leading 13.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game over his six performances.[18]

Phoenix Suns (2025–present)

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On 25 June 2025, Maluach was drafted 10th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2025 NBA draft; however, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns as part of the Kevin Durant trade that was finalized on 6 July 2025.[19] Alongside Maluach, the Suns acquired Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the draft rights to Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea, and a 2026 second-round pick, as part of a seven-team deal.[20] Maluach became the highest drafted player ever from the NBA Academy Africa, as well as from the Basketball Africa League (BAL).[21]

National team career

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In August 2023, Maluach was selected for the South Sudan national team roster for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. At age 16, he was the youngest player on the Bright Stars' roster.[1] On 28 August 2023, he made his debut in a victory against China, becoming the third-youngest player to appear in a World Cup game.[22] Maluach and South Sudan were the best-ranked African team in the tournament, and thus qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, another milestone in the national team’s history.[citation needed]

He played with South Sudan at the 2024 Olympics and was the youngest player in the tournament.[23] He averaged 0.7 points in 4.3 minutes per game over three games, playing a minor role for the Bright Stars.[24]

Player profile

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Maluach has a 7 ft 6.75 in (2.31 m) wing span, and has been praised for his work ethic and athletic abilities.[7]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
* League leader during season

BAL

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Cobra Sport 5 0 11.8 .364 .000 .500 3.4 .6 .2 1.0 2.2
2023 AS Douanes 7 2 11.5 .346 .250 .667 4.4 .4 .3 .4 3.4
2024[25] City Oilers 6 5 34.3 .519 .235 .724 13.5* .8 .7 2.8 17.8

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024–25 Duke 39 39 21.2 .712 .250 .766 6.6 .5 .2 1.3 8.6

References

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  1. ^ a b "Lakers forward Wenyen Gabriel fortifies South Sudan World Cup squad". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b Mutebi, Charles (23 March 2024). "Next big thing? The incredible rise of 'City Oilers' Khaman Maluach". New Vision. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  3. ^ Grez, Matias (25 June 2025). "The unique visa hurdles NBA draft prospect Khaman Maluach will face when traveling for road trips". CNN. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  4. ^ Khaman Maluach Interview | NBA Academy Games | 7.6.23, 10 July 2023, retrieved 12 August 2023
  5. ^ "Maluach, top big man in 2024 class, to join Duke". ESPN.com. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Duke Prospect Explains Why he Picked the Blue Devils". NBA Draft On SI. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Rankin, Duane. "Khaman Maluach 'excited' to wear Phoenix Suns jersey, fulfills NBA dream". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  8. ^ "BAL teams to field one NBA Academy player each in 2022". ESPN.com. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  9. ^ Proballers. "Khaman Maluach, Basketball Player". Proballers. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  10. ^ Proballers. "Khaman Maluach, Basketball Player". Proballers. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Egypt's Hassan, Malauch of South Sudan named MVPs of BWB Africa camp". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  12. ^ "South Sudan's Khaman Maluach and Egypt's Aisha Hassan named BWB Africa Most Valuable Players". OJB SPORT. 1 August 2023. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Top NBA Draft prospects land on new BAL teams". ESPN.com. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Al Ahly vs. City Oilers". FIBA Livestats. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  15. ^ "How the first Maluach v Darlan duel of the season turned out". The BAL. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  16. ^ "LiveStats". geniussports.com. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Opong says City Oilers can't throw the towel in after dropping to 0-3". The BAL. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Highlights from the 2024 Nile Conference". The BAL. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Suns acquire Hornets' Williams, draft Maluach". ESPN.com. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  20. ^ "PHOENIX SUNS ACQUIRE DILLON BROOKS, JALEN GREEN AND DRAFT RIGHTS TO KHAMAN MALUACH, RASHEER FLEMING AND KOBY BREA IN SEVEN-TEAM TRADE". NBA.com. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  21. ^ "South Sudan's Maluach becomes highest drafted ex-NBA Academy Africa and BAL player". The EastAfrican. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  22. ^ "South Sudan's Khaman Maluach, 16, makes FIBA World Cup debut". ABC News. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  23. ^ Grez, Matias (25 June 2025). "The unique visa hurdles NBA draft prospect Khaman Maluach will face when traveling for road trips". CNN. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  24. ^ "Khaman Maluach International Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  25. ^ https://bal.nba.com/statistics?&WHurl=%2Fcompetition%2F38044%2Fperson%2F1813594%2Fstatistics%3F
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